What Is The Difference Between Sound Absorption And Sound Insulation?

When it comes to the general topic of noise protection, some terms are sometimes mixed up. This is no great wonder, as there are quite a few technical terms related to this.

Terms such as sound insulation, sound insulation, sound absorption, sound insulation, sound absorption, soundproofing, etc. can sometimes be confusing.

But when it comes to the concrete implementation of certain measures, you should already know what the individual terms mean and which material should be used for which purpose.

This saves bad purchases and possible disappointments due to false expectations.

In particular, the question “ What is the difference between sound absorption and sound insulation? “We want to shed some light on in this article.

What is sound absorption?

Sound absorption is also often used in the same context as sound attenuation . This is about swallowing or absorbing (absorbing) sound.

In a room, you usually want to achieve better surround sound through sound absorption. For example, by reducing the reverberation time. Because a reverberation time that is too long leads to impaired speech intelligibility.

In addition, a room with too much reverberation is often noisy. If the reverberation time is reduced, the generally perceived noise level also usually falls.

Sound absorption plays a role in offices, classrooms, classrooms, concert halls, opera stages, lecture halls, event rooms, recording studios, counter halls and other rooms.

But the surround sound in your own four walls can also be improved by suitable sound absorption.

Materials for sound absorption

The following materials are commonly used for sound absorption:

• Convoluted foam
• Pyramid foam
• Acoustic foam

Sound absorption products

There is a whole range of different products for sound absorption. You can find some examples in the following list:

• Ceiling sails
• Acoustic pictures
• Acoustic panels
• Sound absorber
• Bass absorber (bass absorber / bass traps)
• curtains
• Carpets
• Upholstered furniture
• Tapestries

What is sound insulation?

The term sound insulation means the acoustic separation between different rooms.

With sound insulation you want to ensure, for example, that your own noise does not penetrate into the neighboring apartment and cause displeasure there. For example, if you operate a home theater or have a music room in which music is heard loudly or even made music.

But also the other way around, sound insulation is important. Namely, if you want to prevent the noise of the neighbors from entering your own apartment.

A practical example of this is the soundproofing of the wall from the neighbor .

Sound insulation is also a very important issue in recording studios, since there should be as little sound as possible from outside or from neighboring rooms.

Soundproofing materials

Various materials are available for this purpose. Some common materials for soundproofing are:

• Composite foams
• Heavy foams
• Polystyrene
• Mineral fibers
• Wood fiber

Soundproofing products

The following products are used for sound insulation, among others:

• Sound insulation mats made of mineral wool
• Sound insulation mats made from wood fibers
• Sound insulation panels made of heavy plastic film
• Composite foam soundproofing panels
• Soundproofing panels made of rock wool
• EPS insulation boards

Conclusion on the difference between sound absorption and sound insulation

Sound absorption and sound insulation are two different things to do.

If you want to protect yourself from outside noise in your apartment, you should deal with the topic of sound insulation.

On the other hand, those who want to improve their surround sound are in good hands when it comes to sound absorption.

Of course, measures from both areas can also be used.